<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Catch a glimpse of the other side (my family is waiting on the other side) by Daughter_of_the_TARDIS</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27002623">Catch a glimpse of the other side (my family is waiting on the other side)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daughter_of_the_TARDIS/pseuds/Daughter_of_the_TARDIS'>Daughter_of_the_TARDIS</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Space Wives Collection [20]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Human, Awesome Sarah Jane Smith, BAMF River Song, Bannerman Road, Bill Potts Deserves Better, Domestic Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Human AU, Mindfuck, Parenthood, Police Officer Yasmin Khan, References to Canon, Sentient TARDIS, Space Wives, The Doctor (Doctor Who) Loves Their Wife, but i couldn't help myself, companions as kids, like honestly far too many, literally just fluff, play with your heads a bit, so many references</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:54:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,618</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27002623</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daughter_of_the_TARDIS/pseuds/Daughter_of_the_TARDIS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“This is perfect.” Jane mumbled, burying her face in her wife’s neck.  “Everything that I could ever want out of life.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>River Song and Jane Smith are married, living lives that they always dreamed of and raising their children.  Life seems too good to be true...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>The Doctor &amp; Amy Pond (Doctor Who), The Doctor &amp; Bill Potts, The Doctor &amp; Jenny (Doctor Who: The Doctor's Daughter), The Doctor/River Song, Thirteenth Doctor/River Song</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Space Wives Collection [20]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2080728</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>51</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>It's been a while since I've done any space wives, but this is a piece that I've been thinking about for awhile now.  Let me know what you all think!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a quiet morning on Bannerman Road - the kind of morning meant for lie-ins and breakfast in bed.  And in number 11, the inhabitants were just starting to wake up.  There were boxes scattered all throughout the house, walls still smelling faintly of fresh paint.  Random toys were scattered around - a nerf gun rested on the stairs, a toy robot in the kitchen, partially hidden under a pile of empty boxes, freshly unpacked.  A model of an old-style police box - sewn together from scraps of fabric - sat on the couch.  Tea cups were scattered across the kitchen counters, and a half-eaten packet of custard creams sat next to a half-empty bottle of wine.  And all across the house, the sounds of people just waking up could be heard.</p>
<p>Jane Song rolled over in her bed, smiling as the arms around her waist grabbed her tighter.  She paused for a second before burrowing deeper into the blankets, just listening to the silence around them.  She closed her eyes again, content to just curl in tighter against the warm body behind her and pull the duvet up just that little bit higher.  Sunlight was streaming in through the window, but not too bright to wake her up completely - they would have to get curtains installed before that became an actual issue.  Even as she was still half asleep, her mind was beginning to wake up, already compiling a list of things that needed to be done.</p>
<p>Find the nearest Tesco and make a run - they couldn’t survive off of takeaway for long, no matter how good the curry on the corner was.  And they were almost out of tea - that would be a disaster, her wife was never fully conscious without at least a mug to start off her day.  So the Tesco run would definitely have to come first.  Then finish unpacking - at least the bedrooms and the kitchen.  The day before had been just getting all of their boxes into the new house and getting beds set up - they had been too exhausted to do much more than that.  Jane was just impressed that they had managed to get as much out of their car as they had - for such a tiny car, it held a lot.</p>
<p>
  <em>Doctor!  Doctor, are you okay?</em>
</p>
<p>Jane paused - the voice echoed around the room, a northern accent so similar to her own.  “Did you say something?” she asked, her voice quiet and still heavy from sleep.</p>
<p>“I asked if you were okay - it’s still early.”  Her wife shifted next to her, arm wrapping around her just a little bit tighter as she snuffled sleepily.  The mass of golden curls that took up most of the pillows shifted, tickling Jane’s nose.  “Are you awake?” River murmured, rubbing her nose against the back of Jane’s neck.  Her voice was still heavy with sleep, making Jane shiver.  “It’s too early, sweetheart.”</p>
<p>Jane smiled as she heard tiny feet hurrying towards their bedroom door.  They paused once, and then she could hear little voices as well - ones that were trying to be quiet and failing.  “Not early enough, I’m afraid.” she murmured, already bracing herself for impact.  She almost giggled when little heads peered around the door - one blonde, one ginger, and one of dark curls.  They were trying to be sneaky, climbing into the bed with them without their parents realizing.  It wasn’t going to work, of course, but she had to give them points for trying.</p>
<p>"Hello, girls!" Jane cheered quietly, pulling her daughters into the bed with them.  Despite herself, she couldn’t quite hold back a wince of pain - they were all knees and elbows.  But the smiles on her girls faces were more than worth the temporary pain.  "Be quiet, though.  Mummy's still sleeping.". She could see River's lips twitching as she tried to hide her smile.  The blonde's grin grew wider as she thought of something.  "Let's wake up Mummy, shall we?"</p>
<p>That got a response from her wife, in the form of fingers jabbing into her ribcage.  “Let’s not.”</p>
<p>Jane rolled over, a smile on her face as she looked at her still half-asleep wife.  “Oh come on, River - don’t you want to see what we can find today?" Jane asked, giving her daughters a conspiratorial look.  "I wonder where the tea kettle went to."</p>
<p>Jenny was the first to jump on top of River, with Amelia following after her.  Bill moved just a little bit slower, curling up into Jane’s side.  Jane sighed, already preparing for the million questions that Bill would have for her today.  She never really minded answering them - Bill always seemed to have the best questions.  “Maybe it’s on the moon, Mummy!” Jenny offered, looking more than thrilled at the very idea.  </p>
<p>Jane pushed her hair out of her face, trying not to laugh at her daughter’s suggestion.  “Did you hear that?” she asked her wife, not even having to work to make the idea believable.  It made sense, really.  “Maybe it’s on the moon, Mummy.”</p>
<p>River laughed as she rolled over, finally opening her eyes to see her daughters practically bursting with energy - Jenny was already dressed, although her blonde hair was still a mess.  Amelia was still in her pyjamas, her Raggedy Doctor doll with the rainbow coat that matched her mother’s clutched in one hand.  Meanwhile, Bill was starfished in between Jane and River, her own dark curls mixing with River’s light ones.  “Good morning, mummy.”  Bill murmured, still half asleep even as she spread out further across the bed.</p>
<p>River pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads in turn, then did the same thing to her wife.  “Good morning, my loves.” she said, smiling as she finally sat up in bed, dislodging the eight-year old sitting on top of her.  “Who’s hungry?” </p>
<p>That was all it took for all three girls to start climbing out of the bed,  all chattering over each other about what they wanted for breakfast.  It only took a minute for the sounds of them talking to move through the house, heading towards the kitchen.  Jane and River just looked at each other for a moment before bursting into giggles, Jane sliding over in the bed so that they were curled up like they had been before their children had burst into the room.  “This is perfect.” she mumbled, burying her face in her wife’s neck.  “Everything that I could ever want out of life.”</p>
<p>River pulled away from her wife, laughing as the other woman groaned.  “Is that your way of saying that you don’t want breakfast?”  she laughed when her wife practically jumped out of the bed with the same amount of energy that their daughters had.</p>
<p>“Well come on then, sweetheart.”  River said, wrapping her robe around herself as she moved towards the door.  She pulled her curls free from the collar of her robe, and Jane watched, mesmerized, as they bounced around her wife’s face.  River turned to look at her, and the smile that spread across her face at catching her wife admiring her made Jane blush automatically.  But she didn’t say anything - River would save that for later on, finding the perfect moment to embarrass her wife.  “Let’s go feed the hellions.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>All three girls were shouting over each other as they fought during breakfast.  Neither River nor Jane paid them any attention - they would fight for a while and then everything would be fine again by lunch.  That was just how sisters worked.</p><p>Jane smiled as she looked out the window, taking in the perfectly normal street that they lived on.  She looked around the kitchen - at her wife, making tea and attempting to not burn the house down with breakfast, and their daughters sitting at the table, squabbling over who got the rainbow plate versus the polka dotted ones.  It was strange, how well she had settled into domestic life - Jane had been a traveler, exploring the entire world until she had met River Song.  She had been everywhere - from London to Paris to Germany, to a tiny lakeside in America, to Egypt, and everywhere in between.  Now she was properly domestic, with her wife by her side and her three beautiful children.  The only adventures she went on now were the ones that River wrote about in her books - all centered around a traveling alien who bore a striking resemblance to the woman that she had married. </p><p>Everything was perfectly normal.  And everything was perfect.</p><p>8888</p><p>Breakfast took about half an hour in total, and then the girls were sent off to start unpacking their rooms.  “If you do all your chores this morning, we can go to Metobilius Three after lunch!” River called after them, smiling at the excited cheers that that earned her.</p><p>Jenny and Bill ran off happily, while Amelia muttered something about how she had wanted to go to Rio, arms crossed over her chest.  She still followed her sisters, though, all three of them thumping up the stairs to their rooms.  A flash of red hair was the last that either woman would see of their daughters for at least the next hour or two.  </p><p>But Jane wasn’t really paying attention to that - she was too busy staring at her wife, confused.  “What?” she asked, still mechanically moving through the motions of washing dishes.  She had never heard of Metobilius Three - whatever it was.</p><p>But River just kept unpacking the box that she was working on, putting all the mugs next to the sink for Jane to add to the pile of dishes that she was working on.  “I said we could take them to the park after lunch.” River repeated, tossing the newspaper that they had used for packing in various directions.  “They’ve been cooped up inside for too long.  This house might be big, but it’s not that big.”</p><p>Jane could have sworn that her wife had said something else.  But even if she wanted to argue about it, she couldn’t remember what it was that she thought River had said.  She blinked, shaking her head slightly.  Whatever it was, it couldn’t have been that important if she didn’t even remember what it was.</p><p>“How's the new book going?” Jane asked, remembering all of the texts that her wife had been receiving the past few days.  They had all been from Jack Harkness - known as Uncle Jack to their children - River’s agent and the owner of Torchwood Publishing.  </p><p>“It’s going well.” River told her, a small smile crossing her face.  She pulled out one plate, cursing under her breath when she found a chip in it.  “The Doctor’s in trouble again - as always.” she rolled her eyes, despite the almost fond look on her face.  River was always fond of her characters, but she had always had a fascination with the madwoman who traveled through all of time and space.  “Got herself caught, this time.”</p><p>“Again?” Jane asked, making River laugh.  She was almost impressed.  The Doctor seemed to get into trouble in every scene that her wife ever wrote, to the point that it was almost a talent.  “So how does she get out?” Jane asked, still working on the dishes despite her curiosity.  “This time, that is.”  </p><p>But River stopped what she was working on, huffing under her breath.  Jane froze - it was rare for her wife to look that frustrated with something that wasn’t her.  “I haven’t quite figured that one out yet.” the other woman admitted, pushing a curl back behind her ear.  It untucked itself almost immediately, springing itself back into place with the rest of River’s lion’s mane of curls.  “But it will come to me, sweetheart.”</p><p>8888</p><p>It had taken them most of the morning, but River and Jane finally managed to get the kitchen and most of their bookshelves unpacked.  Jenny and Amelia had managed to get some more of their own rooms unpacked, while little Bill had gotten distracted with a book that she had found on the last Frost Fair.  Still, they had eventually managed to get enough done that even River felt the need for a break.  Which was why she had sent Jane out to clean out their car - so that they could take the children out for a little bit, get them some fresh air and a closer look at their new home.</p><p>She had barely even begun before she was interrupted.</p><p>“Hello!”  the blonde froze, turning towards the entrance to the driveway.  A woman was making her way up the drive - short and pretty, with dark hair and bangs that framed her face.  A dog trotted along at her side - for a moment, it had almost looked metallic, but she blinked and it was a smart-looking greyhound.  She was dressed smartly and of course, Jane was still in her pajamas, hair a mess and covered in dust from moving boxes.  She almost blushed in embarrassment.  “Just moved in, have you?” the woman asked, head tilted slightly to one side as she took in the pile of boxes that were still piled around the car.  “Is it just you?”</p><p>Jane turned around, smiling at the woman.  She seemed sweet enough, if extremely curious.  “Yeah, we just moved in.  And there's the whole fam - my wife River and I and our kids.  </p><p>“Oh, that's lovely!” the other woman enthused.  “I’ve got a son, Luke - he’s in uni; and a daughter, Skye, in fifth year.  We’re at number thirteen, right across the road.  How many have you got?</p><p>Jane smiled, looking back towards the house.  River was inside, helping Bill with her hair while Amelia hunted down jumpers for all of them.  Jenny was upstairs, still working on unpacking - the girl had a drive for organization that would put most military personnel to shame.  "We've got three - one in year five, one in year four, and our youngest is just starting first year.”</p><p>“Wow, that’s a houseful.” the woman laughed, still carefully eyeing Jane.  “What brings you to Bannerman Road?”</p><p>That was what got Jane - at least five questions in a row, and barely any information about the other woman.  River teased that she could talk for England, but this was taking it to a whole other level.   “It’s a long story.” she said slowly, studying the other woman just a little bit harder.  “What's with all the questions, if you don't mind me askin'.  You haven't even introduced yourself yet.”</p><p>The woman smiled, looking slightly embarrassed.  “I’m sorry - I’m getting ahead of myself again.” she stuck out a hand, a smile on her face as she did so.  It was a small smile, but it suited the older woman all the same.  “Sarah Jane Smith.”</p><p>“Hello, Sarah Jane.”</p><p>There was something familiar about Sarah Jane, she just couldn't figure out exactly what it was.  For some reason, it felt like she knew the older woman - like she remembered her from a dream.  She blinked, shaking her head, and her thoughts settled back into order.  And with that done, she turned her attention back to her new neighbor.</p><p>“So what made you decide to move to Ealing?” Sarah Jane asked, resting her hand on the dog’s head.  He was sweet-looking, with big ears and a rainbow-striped collar.</p><p>“Oh, it's a long story.” Jane said breezily, waving off the question.  She figured that the other woman had already pried enough for one day.  Before she could say anything else - either positive or negative - the front door of their house opened up and three little blurs came racing out.  That didn’t surprise her at all - all of her children were hellions, and they knew it.  However, they also knew that they came by it honestly, although who they got it from depended on who they were talking to at any given moment.</p><p>Sarah Jane’s dog barked, and the woman herself smiled.  “Hello!” she said, waving at the girls.  “And who might you be?”</p><p>“This is Amelia, Bill, and Jenny.” Jane introduced them, pointing out each girl as she said their names.  Still, she felt like she had done this before - and also like it was a terrible idea to have gotten all four of them in the same room.  “Girls, this is Miss Sarah.”</p><p>Amelia rolled her eyes - a move that she had definitely learned from River.  “It’s Sarah Jane, Mum.” she corrected, already clambering to get in the car.  “Come on, let’s go!”</p><p>Jane huffed.  “Well she’s never minded before when I call her Sarah!” she pointed out.  She opened the car door with one hand, hoisting Bill up onto her hip at the same time.  She put her daughter in the car, buckling her into her carseat even as she continued talking to the new neighbor.  “Do you, Sarah?”</p><p>“Not at all.” the other woman said, even as her dog began to pull on its leash.  They had spent too much time standing still - now the greyhound was ready to go back to running again.  Sarah Jane waved at them all as the pair made their way back down the drive.  “It was lovely to meet you all, but I really must be going.”</p><p>It only took a few minutes after Sarah Jane left for her to load everyone into the car and get them ready to go.  “Have you got the Raggedy Doctor, Amelia?” Jane asked, double-checking before they left the house.  They had forgotten the doll once, but that was enough for them to never do it again.  The whole thing had ended up being so blown out of proportion that Jane had blocked it from her memory.  After that, they always double-checked that the Raggedy Doctor was with them.</p><p>“Yes, mum.” the ginger girl replied, holding up her doll.  She and River had made it together years ago, based off of the stories that River wrote.  The doll had short blonde hair and pale skin, and wore so much rainbow clothing it was almost ridiculous.  Jane was adamant that the doll looked like her, but both her wife and daughter denied it.</p><p>“Right then.” Jane said, smiling at all three of her girls before she shifted the car into gear.  “Let’s get a shift on.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>River had insisted that she take the girls to the park for a little bit - both so that they could use up some energy, and so that she could do some unpacking while they were all gone.  Personally, Jane thought that her wife just wanted a few minutes to herself - she hadn’t gotten that even once since they moved in.  So of course she had immediately agreed, wanting to make sure that her wife got the time to herself that she needed.  And if it gave her an excuse to take her daughters to the park and play with them like she was a child again, then that was just an added bonus.</p><p>Bill ran ahead of her sisters, giggling to herself as she heard Jenny and Amelia start to run after her.  She knew that they would chase her - they always did.  Mummy said it was because she was the baby of the family.  Amelia said it was because she would get into too much trouble if she was left alone for more than five minutes.  Either way, it worked to her advantage.  She kept checking behind her as she ran, curls bouncing around her ears.  Amelia and Jenny kept chasing her, and she could hear their mum yelling for all of them to be careful or they might get hurt.  Bill didn’t listen, of course.  Running was her favorite thing -  she said it was the pounding of her feet against the pavement, the adrenaline racing through her body at the thought of being caught by whatever was chasing her.  She always said - in the way that children do when they’re trying to act more grown-up than they really were - that it was addicting.  Jane sighed, fighting back a smile even as she started to run to catch up with her daughters.  River always said that it was one of the things that their youngest had in common with her mum.</p><p>She saw Bill turn around to check where her sisters were - Jenny was quickly closing in on her. So of course, she didn’t see the woman who had appeared in front of her until it was too late.  Jane hadn’t even noticed the woman coming in their direction - it was literally like she had just appeared out of thin air.</p><p>“Bill!”Jane shouted, starting to sprint to where her daughter still lay on the ground.  “Bill, are you alright?”</p><p>The little girl climbed to her feet, shaking herself off and pulling a leaf out of her curls.  “I’m fine, Mum.” she said.  Still, the blonde woman didn’t seem reassured until she had thoroughly checked over her daughter.  Only then did she turn her attention to the woman that her daughter had run into.  She was tall, with dark hair and eyes, and a gorgeous warm complexion.  Her hair was knotted at the back of her head, hidden away under her cap.  And if the hat wasn’t enough of a giveaway, the rest of her uniform was.</p><p>“I’m so sorry, Officer -”</p><p>“Khan.” she filled in automatically, barely able to get her own name out.  “Yasmin Khan.”</p><p>The woman smiled, and it lit up her whole face like nothing else.  “That’s a brilliant name - d’you mind if I call you Yaz?” she asked, some of her hair falling in her face as she tilted her head slightly to one side.  “It seems like it would suit you.  I’m Jane, by the way.”</p><p>“Yeah.”   Yaz said, still stuck on just how happy the other woman looked.  “Yeah, that’s alright.  Oh - is she alright?” she asked, quickly remembering the little kid that she had accidentally knocked over.  </p><p>“She’s fine.”  It wasn’t Jane who spoke that time - it was one of the other kids.  She was older than Bill, with long ginger hair and green eyes that were currently glaring daggers at Yasmin - a fact that Jane quickly noticed.</p><p>“Amelia, be nice.”  she scolded.  “It’s not the PC’s fault that your sister ran into her.”</p><p>Despite herself, though, Yaz couldn't help but be a tiny bit nervous about how the little ginger girl was staring at her.  Her sister standing next to her - looking like she was ready to punch her for even touching her sister, even accidentally - didn’t help things.  “Are they yours?”</p><p>“Yup!” the blonde woman said fondly, looking at the three little girls next to her, pulling them all just a little bit closer despite their protests.  “My little trouble makers.  Their other mum is at home, gettin’ the new house all set up.”  </p><p>“Oh, that’s lovely.” Yaz said, finally focusing in on their surroundings.  They were in a park somewhere - she could tell it was England, but couldn’t tell much more than that.  “What brought you here?”</p><p>“It’s a long story, actually.”  Jane replied, distracted slightly by Bill tugging on her sleeve. “Sorry, didn’t mean to hold you up.  We should get goin’, anyway - get them to burn some more energy before tea.”  with that said, she started pulling her daughters along, heading deeper into the park and leaving PC Khan staring after them, still looking just a little bit confused.  </p><p>8888</p><p>As they walked away, Yaz could hear the youngest asking the Doctor a question.  “Mum, why do you run like that?” she asked, swinging her hand in her mother’s.  </p><p>The Doctor looked down at her daughter, the light of the sun catching in her hair and making it shine.  “Like what?”</p><p>The little girl - she thought that she had heard the Doctor call her Bill, though that might have been wrong - looked up at the Doctor, head tilted slightly to one side and a faint smile on her face.  “Like a penguin with its arse on fire.” she said, giggling slightly at the shocked expression that her mother wore.</p><p>“Now where did you learn to talk like that?” Jane asked - not really needing an answer, as she already knew exactly who was responsible for that phrase.  And judging by the giggling coming from her other daughters, they knew the answer as well.</p><p>Bill looked back as they walked away - they had barely made it ten metres away from where the PC had been standing by then, and she wanted to wave goodbye.  But the woman was gone, nowhere to be seen - like she had disappeared into thin air.  Still, the little girl paid it no mind - there were far more interesting things in the park than PCs that appeared and disappeared like that.  </p><p>8888</p><p>Yasmin Khan woke up, the familiar hum of the TARDIS surrounding her and reassuring her that she was back where she was supposed to be.  Wherever she had been - because they still hadn’t been able to figure it out even with all the information that the TARDIS had given them - it had all seemed so real.</p><p>But that woman - Jane - that was definitely the Doctor.  Same hair, same earring, same voice and accent and mannerisms.  But she had acted like she had no idea who Yasmin was - like she had never even seen the other woman before, let alone have gone on so many adventures together.  </p><p>And she had looked happier than Yaz had ever seen her.  There was none of the usual shade of pain in her eyes - no sorrow, no fear, no hurt.  Just contentedness.  And while she wasn’t sure who the children were - or who her wife was supposed to be in the strange reality that the Doctor had found herself trapped in - it was obvious that Jane cared for them.</p><p>She sat up, gaining Graham and Ryan’s attention.  They had all been panicking for the past few days, ever since the TARDIS had shown up in the front room of Graham’s house.  The blue box had landed there, but no one had come out.  And when they had gone inside, the console room had been dark, with no Doctor in sight.  It had taken them a few minutes to realize that the TARDIS herself was trying to communicate with them - lighting up panels in the walls to lead them to where the Doctor was.  </p><p>They found her in the medbay, laid out on one of the beds.  She looked almost like Sleeping Beauty from the stories - if the legendary princess was really a madwoman in a box, sleeping in a futuristic medical bay instead of a castle.  It had taken them another day or so to figure out what was wrong with her, and even then they only figured it out with help from the TARDIS.  </p><p>It was some sort of futuristic drug, the TARDIS told them.  Ryan had likened it to the Matrix - keeping its victims sedated by showing them exactly what they wanted to see.  And while the Doctor’s Gallifreyan DNA was trying to fight it off, she still needed their help to do so.  Yaz had been the first to volunteer - one touch was all that it took to send her into the Doctor’s mental scape.  And while it had only seemed to be minutes for her, it had been much longer for the others judging by the relief on their faces. </p><p>“So?” Ryan had asked, once their relief had been expressed and they had made sure that she was alright.  “What’s goin’ on with the Doctor?”</p><p>All of it filtered through Yasmin’s head - the domestic life, the children that she adored, the utter happiness in the human Doctor’s eyes.  And a cold feeling started to creep over her.  “It’s a lot worse than we thought.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Surprise!  Bet you didn't see that coming.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>